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Posted on: April 4, 2017

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK KICKS OFF TODAY

MEMPHIS, TN – The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) will celebrate National Public Health Week(NPHW), April 3-9, with a week of events including the Walk the Talk: Health Equity Symposium on April 3 at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

“The Shelby County Health Department plays an integral role in protecting this community and promoting healthy living, and we celebrate each of these staff members for their dedication to our residents and visitors,”said Mark H. Luttrell, Jr., Shelby County Mayor.

Founded in 1995 by the American Public Health Association, NPHW is a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues important to improving the health of the county as well as the nation.Americans are living 20 years longer than their grandparents' generation, thanks largely to the work of public health. Still, people in many other high income countries live longer and suffer fewer health issues than Americans. This is the defining challenge of this generation—a challenge the public health community is uniquely positioned to help overcome.

“We recognize we can strengthen our impact if we firmly commit to our role as public health leaders, serving as role models of healthy behaviors, creating conditions assuring the healthy choice is the default choice and advocating for health equity,” said Alisa Haushalter, DNP, RN, director of SCHD.

The Walk the Talk: Health Equity Symposium will bring community stakeholders together to improve population health through a collective understanding of health equity, including definition, impact, possible solutions, and community engagement. The keynote address will be delivered by Sheila Savannah of the Prevention Institute followed by a panel discussion.

Other notable events open to the public include “Ask ShelbyTNHealth” on Thursday, April 6. To participate,residents are invited to visit the Benjamin Hooks Main Library between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to talk with an SCHD representative or participate via social media on Twitter and Facebook by submitting questions using #ShelbyTNHealth. Additionally, SCHD staff will attend the Whitehaven Healthy Community Day activities held at Methodist South Hospital on Saturday, April 8. The event is free and open to the public. More details can be found at: www.methodisthealth.org/healthwalk.